Hello all, I have booked my first ever solo trip, I am from London and will be travelling to Spain which is not very far but nevertheless I am feeling very nervous! Overall I am fairly confident but am usually in a safe familiar platform. I have planned to do tourist bits and pieces but am mindful that when I get a little uncomfortable/ nervous/shy my "resting bitch face" appears.I am also mindful of social norms, language barriers and somewhat concerned that I may begin a conversation but struggle to exit. I welcome all suggestions, tips and tricks to introduce myself into groups of people, use my face and body language to enable others to approach me and learn how to exit a conversation

@LondonGirl1 Kudos girl! I've never dared to travel alone - always preferring to stick to groups. Nonetheless, I believe that if you ever wanted to exit a conversation, welcoming another person into the conversation and setting up the others to chat with each other has always worked well for me in networking situations. All the best! If all else fails, the ole "I need to visit the ladies" trick always works.

Hello Londongirl1,this is now about exiting a conversation.As far as I can remember I saw Vanessa answering a similar question about exiting a conversation one time.It went roughly like this: Once you want to leave a situation you ask about a future project or plan they have in the near future. For example: "What are your plans for this weekend?" Answer: "This weekend we want to go for a hike in the mountains"After his/her statement you refer to it by closing the conversation and preparing the exit by something like this: "Oh wow, that sounds great. I need to go now, but I really wish you a wonderful time with your friends there. All the best to you." Do not take it word for word but it goes in this direction. I hope this helps a little bit. Greetings

@ruthsong27 Thank you for your message... I'm mindful of language / cultural etiquettes... "I'm heading to the lavvy" just imagine the miscommunication!

@Gerd, many thanks for your help. I definitely like the suggestion of asking about the weekend before excusing myself, in reality probably use it on a daily basis in small talk but am feeling the nerves of being abroad!

@JPina30 hello old chap! These are indeed oldies! I will attempt to put into practice this week before I go away and update you!

From UK to Spain, that’s nothing to worry about. People get friendlier, and food and weather get better. I am sure you’ll have a wonderful time there. Latin people are really easy to speak to, just be relaxed and respectful. The same thing you’d do to speak to strangers in London will work in Spain, if anything Spain is way less formal than England.

The important stuff is just to respect basic safety (not going in weird areas that look dangerous, having a copy of your identity paper and some cash at the ho(s)tel, avoiding dressing like a tourist or looking at a paper map in the street…).

Travelling solo is great as you can plan easily and on last minute. And if you don’t like to be alone, you can always tag along with people from the hostel and visit the city with them.

In a hostel, the easiest way to speak to people is “hey, where are you from ?” it works every time, then try to elaborate on why they are here or speak about they country of origin.
If you are in a hotel, some of the staff is basically paid to speak with you and if you go there while they are not busy they’ll be happy to speak for longer periods of time, they will have invaluable information for you, just ask them.
If you are using couchsurfing, it’s even easier as the host will speak to you and introduce you to his friends if the situation arise.
The hardest is definitely groups of strangers in the street, so just use something situational. For example, ask someone if the restaurant they are currently eating at is good and whether they charge tourist prices in this place, make a joke about how hard it is to find your way with all those things in Spanish and all those people using the wrong side of the street and ask for help, spot other tourists and ask them if they are here for the same thing as you and what is the best thing they saw so far in the city… Do it with a smile, everything will be OK.
If you are travelling in Europe, the risk to have a cultural mismatch is very low, just avoid generalities and stereotypes. If you go outside Europe, I suggest to google a bit about cultural habits before going there. Or you can ask the flight attendants (if you take the national company of this country) or the ho(s)tel staff about it.

In my experience, people are very pleased if you try to speak their language or ask them targeted questions about the local culture that normal tourists don’t ask.

As far as ending conversation goes, it’s quite easy… You will be a tourist, with a limited time to do a lot of things. Just say you need to go because you don’t want to miss that bus that goes to this place, that you want to take photos of that thing before sun goes down, that you planned to see a lot of things today and are afraid you won’t be able to do it if you stay longer… Being a tourist just gives you a lot of excuses to use, and they are usually true so you don’t even need to lie.

In terms of travelling, my advice is to do whatever sounds great to you, even if that’s not what you planned initially. I know I like to take a walking tour on the first day to have an overview of the city where I am in, and to ask question to the guide at the end. Based on that I adapt my plans ( I spot places to take photos, want to try something the guide mentioned…).

Thank you for your very helpful info!
I returned lastnight. Yes I agree asking the question of where are you from definitely generated conversation.
As I have dark hair, eyes and skin, many people assumed I was Spanish so I was stopped for directions or asked what clubs to go to… Which again started conversation.
On one evening I went to a show alone, I realised that although I walked in looking confident buying my drink and sitting down I was actually quite nervous. A girl sat next to me who appeared to be alone… It took me about 20 minutes of mental prep to say hello!.. This was unlike me, I’m usually fairly confident. Thank God I did eventually say hello as we ended up getting food together and going to club that evening!
The question is… where next?
Thank you all for your help x